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The 6-foot-3, 200-pound forward spoke to reporters in Toronto on Wednesday for the first time since Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle told the Toronto Sun last week that he will start van Riemsdyk at centre in training camp. It’s a change the former Philadelphia Flyer embraces.

“It is something that will be a good opportunity for me,” said van Riemsdyk, who is in town instructing at the Leafs’ hockey school at the MasterCard Centre.

“I have played it a little bit in the past, and any time you can be a little more versatile as a player, it is definitely a good thing. I’m excited about that.”

Acquired from the Flyers for defenceman Luke Schenn in June, van Riemsdyk — usually a left winger — took just 10 faceoffs in three seasons in Philly. But the 23-year-old played centre for two years at the University of New Hampshire, so it is not as though he will be learning the position from scratch.

“It’s about getting that comfort (level) back with the position,” van Riemsdyk said. “When you are used to something it is second-nature, so when you are out there not thinking and just playing, that is when you are at your best. Just be a matter of getting some reps in there and sure I will be fine.”

If van Riemsdyk demonstrates he can be a solid centre, the expectation is he would play between Joffrey Lupul and Phil Kessel on the Leafs’ top line. That’s if, of course, general manager Brian Burke does not acquire a No. 1 centre in a trade some time during the summer.